2004 Australian Grand Prix
7 March |number = 714 |officialname = LXIX Foster's Australian Grand Prix |circuit = Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit |location = Melbourne, Australia |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 5.303 |laps = 58 |distance = 307.574 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:24.408 |fastestlap = 1:24.125 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 29 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Rubens Barrichello |secondteam = |secondnation = BRA |third = Fernando Alonso |thirdteam = |thirdnation = ESP}} The 2004 Australian Grand Prix, officially known as the LXIX Foster's Australian Grand Prix, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which took place at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on 7 March 2004.'Australian GP, 2004', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr714.html, (Accessed 16/12/2019) The race would see defending Champions Michael Schumacher and open their title defence in perfect fashion, claiming a dominant victory. There had been very little change to either the rules or the teams over the winter, although teams placed fifth and below in were allow to run a third car in practice as testing restrictions were increased. Driver-wise there were no changes among the top teams in the Championship, although Takuma Sato would get a full race seat at , while Felipe Massa returned to after a year out as Ferrari's test driver. Qualifying, which remained unchanged from the format introduced in 2003, would see Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello claim a front-row lockout for Ferrari, half a second clear of the rest of the field. Juan Pablo Montoya was best of the rest for , while Jenson Button was a surprise fourth for BAR-Honda. The start fell even more in Ferrari's favour, as the two scarlet cars got off the grid in perfect formation to claim an early lead. Behind, Fernando Alonso launched away brilliantly to jump Button and challenge Montoya, resulting in the Colombian ace locking up a sliding across the grass on the outside of the first corner. With that the fight for victory was effectively over, with Schumacher easing away with Barrichello, while Alonso struggled to keep pace. Behind, Sato damaged his car after tapping the back of Jarno Trulli, while the two Saubers had lost a lot of ground as a result of Montoya's scramble back onto the circuit at the first corner. Indeed, it was the fight in the midfield that would provide the main entertainment during the race, with Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld, having swapped seats during the winter, battling hard. Ahead, Montoya would make up some ground with moves on Mark Webber and Button, as well as teammate Ralf Schumacher during the first round of stops. Elsewhere, the two had a very poor afternoon, with Kimi Räikkönen, runner-up in 2003, ending up in eleventh before retiring. David Coulthard fared little better as he slipped to eighth during the early stages, and failed to lap within two seconds of either of the Ferraris throughout the race. Indeed, the opening round of the season would be very tame, with Schumacher cruising after the first round of stops, while Barrichello failed to muster a challenge. Likewise, Alonso was on his own in third after the early stages, while the battle between the two Williams' was decided in the pitstops, with Ralf Schumacher ultimately getting back ahead. Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, would collect fastest lap and a new lap record as he cruised to victory, while Barrichello made it a perfect start for the Scuderia in second. Alonso was an equally distant third to complete the podium, with Ralf Schumacher, Montoya, Button, Trulli and Coulthard likewise having quiet runs to complete the points. Background Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Q1 Report Q2 Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Bruni was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance. Milestones * made their 550th Grand Prix appearance as an engine supplier.'1. Australia 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/australie.aspx, (Accessed 16/12/2019) * Gianmaria Bruni, Christian Klien and Giorgio Pantano made their debuts.'2004 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 16/12/2019) * Michael Schumacher claimed his 71st career victory. * secured their 168th win as a constructor and engine supplier. Standings Michael Schumacher opened his sixth title defence with a convincing victory at the opening round, leaving Australia with ten points. Rubens Barrichello was second as he opened his account for the season, with Fernando Alonso completing the early top three. Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya were next ahead of Jenson Button, with Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard also picking up points at the opening round. In the Constructors Championship a one-two for at the opening round left them in an already daunting position, holding eighteen points. had half the number of points in second, and were a point ahead of in third, who were the only other double scorers. and were the only other scorers in Australia. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles es:Gran Premio de Australia de 2004 Category:2004 Grands Prix Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Australian Grand Prix